When laying and constructing pipelines, it is known to enable the rotatability of pipe sections by means of so-called tubular rotary joints. A tubular rotary joint of this type has been disclosed, for example, in DE 70 00 900 U. Here, a holder and a connection body, which is rotatably connected to the holder, interact in order to design a pipe section, which is connected to the connection body and can move in relation to the holder. Within the holder, a distribution chamber is provided, which is coupled to a distribution channel of the connection body. In the known device, a slide bearing is used in order to enable the rotary motion of the connection body. A system of this type can be used only for higher temperatures with average pressure load. However, in addition to high temperatures, high pressures also arise when conducting polymer melts. These high pressures lead to correspondingly high radial and axial forces. However, such high-pressure forces cannot be taken up by the slide bearing, particularly in the design disclosed in the prior art.
For this purpose, tubular rotary joints are likewise known from the prior art, in which the slide bearing is replaced by roller bearings. It is thus indeed possible to apply high pressures. However, according to the invention, roller bearings have a limited suitability for high temperatures. Another problem of the tubular rotary joints disclosed in the prior art is that a free rotatability of the connection body in the holder is not ensured at high pressures. In particular, forces acting only on one side of the connection body can be particularly detrimental.
It is an object of the invention is to further improve a tubular rotary joint of the known kind, particularly for conducting a polymer melt. In one embodiment, a secure operability is assured even at high temperatures of over 250° C. and high pressures of above 200 bar.